Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-02-10
STORY OF A BOOK.
Why the Old Geography Had an
Honored Place.


The housemaid had found it in an
old cedar box in the attic and put it
beside volume of Dickens on the mid
die shelf of the library bookcase. 1t
was little, square, green-covered.
dog-eared, round-cornered geography
1t was published when the art of geog-
raphy making was, comparatively
speaking, in its infancy. Its maps
had blue seas, green, red, white, yell
low, purple, brown and many other
colored lands, and it was embellished
with odd pictures of still odder people
dressed more singularly still who have
become entirely extinct long since the
artist who drew them died, if the geog-
raphies of the present day are reliable
in their illustrations. The advent of
this old-fashioned volume among the
richly-bound books in the library
caused futter of excitement not un-
mingled with indignation.
81 can't see for the life of me-" ex-
claimed u collection of Matthew Ar
nold's essays, ''whY this common book
should force himself upon our COM
pany."
"No, nor l." responded the Dickens
novel, sharply. If this library is to be
turned into a literary junk shop we
might as well be in secondhand
store at once"
Eyes, indeed" echoed in unison a
row of Scott's novels, which stood like
line of British soldiers, with bright
red suits, on an opposite shelf.
"Come, what have you got to say
for YOURSELF" inquired gruff old Ben
Jonson. "What made you stick
yourself in here against our consent?"
81 didn't want to come" answered
the geography, mildly. "Indecd /
didn't. 1t wasn't my fault. was
lying in the old cedar chest in the
attic, where / have lain ever since she
grew up and where l would have been
now butt
"Shep" interrupted Dickens. "Who
is she, prayP"
"Why, don't you know herP" replied
the Geography in amazcment. 81
thought you must know her. She used
to study me when she was little
pink-faced girl, years and years ago.
She and Jack studied me together.
They were very fond of me, and l sup
pose that is the reason l have been kept
so long"
"'JackP'" again inquired the inquis'
tive Dickens, "who is 'JackP"
Jack" continued the Geography,
enthusiastically, twas the handsomest
boy ever knew, and knew whole
generation of boys and girls, too.
ought to know them well, for l was
read, thumbed and studied by then
for nearly forty years before Jack foun6
me on the bookshelf in his father;
library, where his older brother had LEFT
me when he finished school and wen
to sea-"
THAT doesn't explain how you hap
pened to be here" interposed Ber
Jonson, rudely. "Come, tell us that.
II was just about to tell YOU" con
tinued the Geography. You see, Jacl
took me to school with him the very
first day he went there. 1t was thu
little red school-house under the hill
You probably know it. Mop though
every one knew where that was. Thu
master was very strict and very cruel
so used to think, and every day h
used to whip nearly all the boys ant
keep half the girls in at recess jus
because they whispered. | tell yo'
that boys and girls can't keep from
whispering in school any more thai
from breathing. / said nearly all tn
bows. Jack was one he didn't whip
Whyp Jack was a cripple. How did tina
happenP I'll tell you. Phillis-sh
was Jacks sweetheart-was the pref
test girl in all the school. She wa
younger than Jack just a year. ii
was twelve and she eleven. and the
loved each other Just as much as pee
pie good deal older than they were
do if not a little more. One day afte
school Jack and Phillis were sldin
down the school-house hill on Jack bl
sled. The master was out watch
inc them. The road didn't ru
straight down the hill, but woun
around down through small grow
of trees. The road had bee
covered with water and was ice froI
top to bottom. and the sleds flew fastt
than the wind as they went down, III
afternoon Phillis sat in the front OF tn
sled, her little red stockings curled u
under her dress, while Jack held on b
hind and steercd with his leg. The
started-the last slide they had-frol
the top, and were going faster tina
they had ever gone before, when Pm
lis gave a little scream and caught hol